Jaded
by VampireQueen21
Summary: She never meant to fall in love, in fact she went to great lengths to avoid it, but sometimes love finds you anyway.
1. Prologue

Title: Jaded  
>Author: DezJezebel Jinx/VampireQueen21  
>Rating: Teen-light Mature<br>Couple: X-Tremer (Alec/Liz), mentions of Liz/other, and some other UC couples.  
>Category: RoswellDark Angel XO, UC  
>Set: Post-Graduation, Post-Freak Nation<br>Summary: She never meant to fall in love, in fact she went to great lengths to avoid it, but sometimes love finds you anyway.  
>Notes: The year is 2023 (for the prologue), the humans (Liz, Maria, Kyle, Alex) were born in 1998, Podster's hatched in 2004, Season 1 took place 2013-14, S2 in 2014-15, and S3 in 2015-16. The group was on the road from 2016 till the time they decided it was time to split up in 2019. Those are all the dates you need to know right now, DA happened in same time it does.<br>Note 2: Alex is not dead and Tess is not evil, Biggs is alive, it was a different transgenic that was killed, and everything else will be explained in the fic.  
>Disclaimer: I own nothing, Roswell and Dark Angel belong to people who aren't me.<p>

Big thank you to Lizzy for beta'ing this fic for me.

**Prologue**

_February 2, 2023_

Love.

A word that both warmed and frightened her. Not many words invoked that kind of split reaction but 'love' did.

She hadn't meant to fall in love.

That was the scary part, she didn't set out to find the perfect man for her, it happened and she let it.

Long lasting love was not in the cards for her, a simple fact that she had accepted years ago. In all honesty it freed her from the tangled web that being in love spun.

Contrary to popular belief she wasn't dead inside, she still had happiness, pleasure, and fun along with sadness, anger, and jealousy. Life didn't cease to continue, there wasn't a gaping hole in her soul. She had everything she wanted: a roof over her head, food in her stomach, the occasional roll in the sack, friends, family, and the most important person of all…her son.

Jeremy Mason Parker, the constant light of her world, all he did was smile his toothy grin at her and she melted. She doted on the three-year-old; she lived her life for him, because of him. Long, loose, light brown curls tumbled over his eyes when he played on the floor bent over his toy cars pushing them along.

Already Jeremy was attached to _him_; he acted like a big kid himself sometimes, too. Yes, the '_him'_ in question was the man she'd become attached too as well. Like mother like son. When she had Jeremy, she swore to herself that she wouldn't be one of those parents who brought a new squeeze to the house every month. And she followed that strictly; not one man met her son, not one was good enough to meet Jeremy, until 'him'.

A few men here and there were fine for an overnight tumble, after all she had needs, wants, desires, but they never came home with her. She either went to their place or, more often, a hotel room; they'd say their good nights, and she'd go pick up Jeremy from Logan's or her parent's home then take him back home.

It took her six months of steadily dating him before he met Jeremy, before than he saw pictures of him, heard her talk about him, but nothing more than that. By that time, she could tell her feelings for him were growing, and it felt right to bring him into her life completely.

Now six months after that first meeting with her little guy, she figured out another thing too. She'd have to get him to leave. She'd been counting on him too much, putting too much faith in him—she'd fallen in love with him. A trap of love she swore never to be caught in again…ever. But she had the perfect plan to get him to leave her.

She, Elizabeth Marie Parker, would tell Alec McDowell that she loved him. That would get him to run the opposite direction in record time, and she'd be free to continue her life with her son.

TBC


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

_August 3, 2021_; Year and a half earlier; Seattle, Washington

The smell reached her nostrils before the bus depot came into view. Urine, stale vomit, and the rich scent of rain doing its best to wash away the vile stench that greeted passengers. Seattle, Washington, transgenic central as the news had taken to calling the city.

Only a few short months ago, they claimed a small section of the city as their own. Had a flag flying and everything. One of the reasons she chose the city, who'd think to look for her in the middle of transgenic headquarters? And if worse came to worse, she could always tell them she's one of them. Thanks to Max saving her, she had some abilities, nothing like what they have, but enough to fool a bunch of transgenics...or at least she hoped.

A light tug on her sleeve took her attention away from staring out the window to look down at Jeremy still in her arms. "Stinky Mama." He pinched his nose closed, scrunching up his face in disgust.

"Yea, it's stinky here, huh?" She agreed. "Don't worry. Our house smells a lot better." Last week when she bought the place with a lot of help from her parents, she had Jeremy stay with them while she took one of their two trucks up to Seattle to sign papers and bring some small furniture up there.

The house was one of the "higher" quality homes. Amazingly, it was cheap because not many people wanted to live so close to "mutant freaks," the landlord's words not hers. He didn't understand why a woman with a small child would want to live relatively close to those monsters. All she told him was that it was none of his business and handed him the first three months rent, again thanks to her parents. It didn't bother her much to live so close to them; if they didn't bother her, she could care less how close they were.

Besides on the news where the hottest stories being covered were about the lab created people, she'd seen plenty of instances where they helped someone. She could understand the initial reaction of fear to people who were stronger, faster, and smarter than the average regular human. It's not fun to realize that you're not on top of the food chain any longer, but after seeing the acts of kindness and bravery being broadcasted live, it was hard to fear them, despite what news anchors and the government said.

Mom and Dad were coming up to Seattle in a couple days to help her with Jeremy until she got daycare set up. There were two more places she needed to check before making a decision. She couldn't leave her pride and joy with just anyone.

To say her parents were shocked when she came home after being gone for a little over three years, pregnant, and broke was an understatement. After she left her journal and the note for her parents, she was sure they never expected to see her again.

Although nervous as to what would happen when she returned, she never once doubted their love for her. No matter what she did, they would always love her and support her. May not like or agree with her choices, but they wouldn't abandon her; during those first three years the aliens were in their lives, she forgot that.

The bus lurched to a stop sending passengers and luggage forward. A loud honk from the driver followed by a stream of curse words a mile long caused a look of astonishment from Jeremy. "Mommy woogies."

"Yea he's saying woogies." She used the word Jeremy used for when people said bad words. "Remember what Mommy told you about woogies?" Liz asked. He nodded enthusiastically. "And what was it?"

"Growm ups on-e." He mumbled pass his finger.

"That's a good boy." Passengers stood up and began to gather their things. Jeremy put his small arms around her neck as she stood, and he wrapped his chubby legs around her waist as much as he could. With her one free hand, she slung her backpack over one shoulder and her son's small traveling suitcase under her arm. Then she reached down and grabbed the stroller before scooting out of the seat.

Jeremy rested comfortably on her hip; unlike the couple of other children on the bus, he was alert and aware of his surroundings. Jamie's hazel eyes scanned the crowd, a trait inherently his father's; when there were people around, it could get difficult to put him to sleep. It wasn't just curiosity that kept him awake, he was looking for threats.

As if satisfied the crowd posed no threat, he turned back to her and played with her curled hair. Jamie would pull on it and watch as it sprung back into place causing him to smile.

Once off the bus, she moved toward the luggage compartment and waited for the driver to start unloading. They didn't have to wait long for the driver to begin unloading the bus. She saw her large suitcase shoved near the very back.

Not wanting to wait any longer than necessary, she glanced around; no one was paying the slightest bit of attention to her. With Jeremy still in her arms she lifted two fingers off his body and motioned them towards her. The bags that were slowly being extracted from the bus were pulled out, falling in a heap on the wet ground.

Passengers yelled at the driver, angry that he was so careless with their belongings. The suitcase she had put in there landed on the top; quickly she pushed her way through, grabbed her suddenly available suitcase, and pushed forward through the crowd leaving the angry people behind.

Before she and the others left Roswell for what she thought would be for good, she had developed powers. When Max saved her, something changed in her body, and she became a little more like the aliens. As time went on, she and the others discovered that she had the aliens' basic powers: changing molecular structures, the ability to heal little things, a bit of explosive powers, and some telekinesis.

However, they also found she had a special power of her own that the others didn't have, premonitions. It was the reason they left, she saw their deaths, hers, Max's, Isabel's, Michael's, and Tess's. All of them dead at graduation.

So they called a meeting, the aliens had decided to leave along with her; as far as whoever was after them was concerned, she was an alien too. Kyle, Alex, Jesse, and Maria had a difficult decision to make though, whether to go with their friends or stay in Roswell.

Kyle decided to go because Max had saved him and it would only be a matter of time before he developed powers. Might as well be with people who could help him through it and teach him how to use his powers.

With Jesse, Alex, and Maria though they needed more time to think. All three had reasons to stay and reasons to go. In the end Jesse left, but he didn't leave with Isabel; instead he went to Boston where he said he'd wait for her, they could start a new life there, and they could be together. As of two and a half years ago, she still hadn't left to go be with Jesse.

Maria, who had wanted out of the alien madness, went with what she felt in her gut. Every nerve in her body had told her to go with the group. She felt it in her bones that for now at least she was meant to be with them.

When Maria made her decision, she came over to Liz's house and begged her to talk her out of going. She wanted to go to New York and get enrolled in a music program and sing like she always dreamed too. Her friend paced back and forth arguing with herself not allowing Liz to get a word in edge wise.

Finally when she calmed down to a reasonable level, Liz only said one thing. "What do you think you should do?"

Maria had been irritated saying something about what had she just been venting about for the last ten minutes. Liz in a sense waved her question away and told her to not think about anybody else, don't think about their friendship, don't think about Michael, or what they would do without a core member of their group, only think about herself. What did she want? What did she feel was the right choice?

For an hour, Maria stayed in her room talking about anything other than what she came there for. They had been chatting about everything to the point that Liz thought she had made her choice and was getting in one last girl talk for a while until it was time for Maria to leave, and she turned and said she was going with them, that she couldn't very well leave her best friend to live with the aliens all by her lonesome.

Liz said she would love to have Maria come but didn't want her to sacrifice her dream just because she thought Liz couldn't handle being alone. To which she said that it wasn't the reason she was going. The reason she decided on the choice she did was because [i]she[/i] couldn't handle being alone right then. She still had some growing to do before she ventured out on her own and she wanted to do it with her friends.

And lastly Alex, a week prior he had received a letter from MIT, he got a full scholarship. MIT was his dream but his true love would be leaving with her family. It all started when she asked for his help to decode the Destiny Book, from spending hours together every day, they found a friend in one another. It didn't take long for a romance to blossom.

In the end, he gave up his MIT dream and went with the one person he wanted to be with forever, Tess Harding. Many people in school didn't understand their relationship, some thought it was all a bet and Alex was a pity date; why would Tess, one of the more beautiful girls in school willingly date Alex? He may be a musician, but in high school, he was still classified as a dork. Boy did Tess and Alex set them straight when they were caught in the Eraser Room making out on one of the tables.

Finding a corner, Liz set down the suitcase, and then placed Jeremy in the stroller. The stroller was the same one her parents used with her when she was little. She then put her backpack over the handles and put his little suitcase in the backpack.

When she closed it up, she picked up her suitcase again and pushed Jeremy toward the parking lot. Stopping when she reached the lot, she pulled out her car keys from her jeans pocket, the hard denim scraped at her knuckles as she dug for the warmed metal.

Mom, a week previously, had paid for a car so she wouldn't have to walk everywhere in Seattle. There were only twelve cars in the parking lot, she instantly knew seven of them weren't hers, they were trucks, and Mom said she got her a regular vehicle.

Pushing the lock button on the remote she saw a car blink its lights as if happily welcoming her to the city. The car was a late 09' model Dodge neon, one of the last cars made that year before the pulse hit. Normally, the car would have been picked clean for parts being left there for a couple days unattended. Dad had a friend though that lived there and kept it for her 'til today when he dropped it off.

Being a fourteen-year-old car, it wasn't in the best shape, but as long as it ran and kept them dry during the rain, she was a happy camper. While the parking garage was outside, it was under a canopy, so for the most part, it was free of water droplets.

Liz popped the trunk and loaded her suitcase and backpack in. Closing the trunk, she rolled Jeremy's stroller to the back; unhooking the car seat attachment, she buckled her son into place and shut the door. Jogging to the other side of the car, she opened her door.

The second she got in, she locked the door; it was a habit that she and millions of other people had. When the pulse hit, people went crazy; they'd see a car and break in, didn't matter if someone was in it already or not. There were times when a group of people would hide in a parking structure and wait for their next victim.

Liz remembered reading a story in the newspaper once about a woman who hadn't locked the door behind her, and out of nowhere, three masked men opened the door and pulled the woman out by the hair tossing her onto the ground. The men took off with her two children in the back seat. Thankfully the children had been left a couple blocks away from the police station unharmed. But it spooked a lot of people, and to this day, the habit of locking the door as soon as that door closed stuck.

Crossing her fingers, Liz put the key into the ignition and turned. It sputtered for a few seconds, but it revved to life. She breathed a sigh of relief and slowly pulled out of the parking space. After maneuvering through the maze known as the parking garage, she finally made it out onto the main road and was on her way to her and Jeremy's new home.

TBC


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

As she pulled up to her new home, she saw a small crowd a couple blocks from the entrance to Terminal City, or TC as it had started to be called by almost anyone who knew about the place. A flag flapped in the distance on top of one of their buildings, the transgenics staking their claim on that section of town.

A few months ago, there had been a hostage situation; it was all over every news channel. The result was constant police and National Guard presence at the area the transgenics had claimed. For a while, police cars were the only barrier between the ordinary people and the not so ordinary. Now, though, the authorities had backed off a little. Only two cop cars were by the newly built fence.

Their home had been on the market for quite a while as a rental before the transgenics became exposed, but after, the owner decided sell; he didn't want to have anything to do with that place anymore. It helped in getting a cheap price for the home.

When she went up there the first time, she filled out ten applications for jobs that were in a few miles of her home. So far she had four interviews lined up, one at a grocery store, two at a restaurant, and one delivery service. She was hoping to hear back from the clothing store next to the majority of day cares that she wanted to get Jeremy into, but so far, they hadn't contacted her.

Pulling into the driveway, she slowed to a stop and climbed out of the car. Her keys were clenched tightly in her hand; she wondered, not for the first time, if the house was a good idea. Yes, it fit her needs, but would it be more dangerous around there or safer?

On the one hand, there were a whole bunch enhanced people right up the street who didn't seem all that bad—she didn't listen to the biased news anchors or the government when they said transgenics were dangerous. What would they say about aliens if they knew about them, that they were trying to kill or probe people to figure out how they ticked?

However, there was also the fact that a lot of people, violent people whom hated anything different from them and attacked at random, weren't too far away. If someone acted weird, would they assume they were a transgenic and chase them, beat them, maybe even kill them? But that was happening all over the city, not just that neighborhood.

Walking over to Jeremy's side, she opened the door and unbuckled him leaving the suitcases in the trunk for now. She'd go back out and get them once she got inside and had Jeremy situated.

"Big, Mama." He stared up at the house in awe.

She looked up with him. "Yea, it is kind of big." It's a two-story home with a basement but a small yard in comparison to the other yards around the block. The previous owner didn't even bother to clean out the basement before he sold it to her. Guess what she would be doing over the next few weekends.

From what she gathered the owner tossed all the previous tenants things down there when they moved out. Maybe there would be some things in there she could salvage and make it like new again.

Liz climbed the front stairs with Jeremy on her hip making it to the front door. Her parents insisted she changed the door locks before moving in. It took a few days to find a locksmith that would dare come out there and another couple days for them to fit her into their schedule. The locksmith had come the week she showed up the second time.

The guy who came was good-looking, very good-looking. She had been expecting an overweight guy with pants that didn't fit properly and a gut that stuck far out and over his pants. That wasn't what she got though, oh no, instead she got a hot guy with jet black hair and deep brown eyes and an ass that she could bounce a quarter off of.

She flirted with him the whole time he was changing the locks and adding in another one for extra protection. A job that normally would have taken two to three hours took six, that night he asked her out on a date. She figured why not; she'd be leaving the day after next, so why not have some fun while there.

They had dinner, and then he took her back to an apartment he was renting. She got out a lot of sexual frustration that night. Before she first had sex, she would have said that she'd never sleep with a guy on the first date or even the second date. But there were some guys that a good roll in the sack was all that was needed. Since she didn't bring guy's home to meet Jeremy and didn't date that often, she had to get her itches scratched somehow.

After that night, she hadn't seen him again, and she was fine with that. He was good in bed, but neither wanted a relationship; he gave her his phone number though, but she never called it. She's sure it's somewhere in the house though…or she might have left it in her pocket and washed it accidentally. Either way, she didn't have it anymore.

Inside, the house was clean, the graffiti had been removed, and the windows had been cleaned. Alien magic and Windex definitely came in handy when it came to getting rid of paint and grime. When she first walked in, she could barely see the walls they were so covered with symbols, words, and pictures all in various colors. And don't even get her started on the cobwebs, dirt, and slime, so gross; she didn't want to dwell on what it might have been.

In the living room, some of the furniture was already up and in the general area that she wanted it, and Jeremy's playpen was up too. Giving him a kiss on the cheek, she placed him into the playpen. "Now I'll be right back, baby. Mommy's gonna go get our stuff." She stroked a loving hand down his baby fine blonde hair.

Liz set a couple toys from his carry bag in with him so he wouldn't be bored. Leaving the house, she closed the door behind her and went down to her car. She popped the trunk and took out the suitcases before going to the back seat and grabbing the stroller and anything else she wanted to bring into the house.

Locking the car she slowly trudged up the steps and back into the house. Before she shut the door behind her, she heard a loud engine and turned to see what was making the noise; it was a lime green motorcycle. It sped down the street and toward the crowd of angry civilians.

The rider, who wore a helmet, didn't stop or even appear to slow down. Instead they kept going, raced up a ramp and flew over the guarded fence. For the first time since she arrived the crowd was silent. Probably didn't see that too often, did they?

Liz remembered while on the road, when Maria and Michael were having an argument, she rode with Michael on his bike. She enjoyed it a little bit, but to be honest, she hated it most of the time. Nothing but the clothes on your back, and skin between the rider and the pavement didn't exactly calm her nerves.

With the show over and the crowd voicing their hate once again, she set the suitcases and things down in the entryway and shut the door. Checking her watch, she picked Jamie back up from his playpen and took him to the kitchen where she had his formula stocked up. She'd make them lunch, and then she'd clean more of the house up. No point in waiting till tomorrow.

TBC


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_Inside Terminal City_

The loud roar of the motorbike signaled the multitude of moving bodies inside the compound that one of their members was back home. A lime green cycle rolled to a stop on the side of the building.

Alec cut off the engine and swung his leg over his bike. Frustrated, he took off his helmet and scrubbed his hand through his hair. Outside the large building, tables and chairs had been set up, and various transgenics sat playing poker with singed cards while others played chess with broken pieces.

Since taking over this area of Seattle as their own, they'd managed to create a community of their own. He snorted under his breath. A prison was more like it. It had been a nice dream to stay in Seattle and make the people acknowledge them and hopefully in time accept their presence, but a dream was all it was.

Max had unrealistic expectations. She thought that in time, the Ordinaries would relax, and by the end of summer, or at least the end of fall, they'd all be singing 'Kumbaya' and holding hands. The reality of the situation was the police would only help the "non-freaks"; the Ordinaries, if they found a transgenic alone, would attack, and now they had to ride with helmets so no one recognized them from the news.

There were a few places that were transgenic friendly, Crash, Jam Pony, a couple strip bars, one or two stores, but most of the city hated them for existing. Like they had any control over Manticore; they were created, and it wasn't their fault they were better-equipped then regular people.

Alec took the briefcase from the back of his bike and walked into the building. There were still a few transgenics that saluted him when he walked by them, but as they grew accustom to civilian life, it became less and less common.

Max sat up on the platform talking to Logan on the monitor. Even though Max and Alec had made it abundantly clear to Logan that their "going out" had been a spur of the moment plan by Max, Logan still didn't completely trust him. Why did he get the blame for crap he didn't even do? Max thought up the genius plan, shouldn't she be the one getting the third degree from Logan?

Hearing some of the others say 'hi' to him, Max turned around and called to him. "Did you get the briefcase?"

"Yea, the cops weren't too pleased, if using my back as a target was any indication." His latest job was to steal the money the sector police gave to politicians every week.

"Did they notice you had the briefcase?" Max questioned. The whole point of the mission was to not have anyone know a transgenic took their precious money.

Alec set the briefcase on the table and kept his back turned to Max. "Nope." He snuck into the office where the money was being handed over, switched the cases without anyone realizing, then hurried out of there as quickly and quietly as possible.

"Then why were they shooting at you?" Logan spoke up from the monitor.

At that Alec turned to face the tentative couple. "Could it be because we're transgenics and public enemy #1? Gee that sounds plausible, doesn't it?"

"The whole point was to not bring attention or be seen, Alec. You may have caused police to have less hesitation in shooting us now." Max argued.

"As if they hesitated before?" Alec shouted. "Just last week, three of us were shot at, one killed, and another beaten for mouthing off to a sector cop. They don't need a reason to shoot us or hate us Max, they've already found one." Angry he stormed off to his room in TC.

RosDARosDARosDA

Max stared at Alec until he disappeared from view. Once she heard his door slam she turned back to Logan on the monitor. He had an expression of irritation. "What?"

"Nothing." He leaned back in his chair.

"No, you have something on your mind, so say it." Max told him.

Logan remained silent for a few moments thinking about how to word what he thought without alienating her. "You were pretty rough on him. He didn't get a thank you for doing what you asked, and you're upset at him for getting shot at. Which he had no control over."

"It's Alec; he had to have done something." She argued back defending her actions.

"Maybe, but he's not the only one whose gone out and gotten shot at. You've asked how they were, said they did a good job, but Alec got nothing but grief. Is there something else going on?"

Max glared at Logan. He couldn't be suggesting that… "No, there is nothing going on with me and Alec. That was me trying to get you to move on…"

Logan interrupted. "We already talked about that—that wasn't what I meant. But you are a lot harder on Alec than anyone else."

Max thought it over for a bit. Logan's right, she did rake Alec over the coals regularly for things that weren't even his fault. "You're right. I do." She sighed. "But he's the only one who won't censor himself to make me feel better. He'll tell it like it is, and if I don't like it, too bad."

She had been trying to push his buttons. With the stress of outside forces and doing her best to keep the morale up with all the people in Terminal City, it became easier to piss Alec off, and a part of her needed to do that. He didn't blindly take orders from her as many of the others did. Max knew that if she set him off, he'd get in her face if he had too.

"I should go apologize to him." She stared up at the platform leading towards the rooms. She should, but could she swallow her pride and tell him she was out of line?

"But you're not going to." Logan finished for her.

"No, I didn't say that." She defended.

Logan nodded. "True, but I'm not wrong."

"Even if I said 'sorry,' what would it accomplish? He wouldn't say it back, I'd get upset, and we'd be right back where we started, mutual annoyance."

Logan leaned into the camera. "So you'd only say sorry to receive a sorry from someone else? That doesn't seem fair."

"Why do you have to be so frustrating?" Max asked. She hated when he used logic.

"That's just who I am." A knock sounded off in the distance. "That's probably Joshua. I'll see you tonight, right?"

"Absolutely, wouldn't miss it." Max agreed. With a small wave, both turned off their web-cams.

TBC

Note: There are about 5 more chapters to post (to get caught up with this story) and I'll post those Saturday or Sunday.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

An hour later, Jeremy nodded off resting his head on her shoulder; his tiny hand clutched her shirt collar. Now would be a good time for her to eat a little food. Moving from the dining room to the kitchen, she opened her cupboards and looked for what might be edible.

The last time she was up there she bought a whole bunch of formula and toddler food. Unfortunately, there wasn't much money left for her food, but she had some canned foods, a couple boxes of crackers, and synthetic peanut butter.

Reaching up, she pulled out a can of peaches. Using her powers, she opened the can, grabbed a fork, and ate the fruit at the kitchen counter. A soft snore from Jeremy let her know how deeply he slept. A part of her wondered if maybe she should have stayed with the group when she found out that she was pregnant. It would cause strife, she had no doubt about that, but he would be with people who could understand his powers…if he ever got them.

So far Jeremy hasn't had any power flares, nothing exploded around him, and he didn't suddenly change the furniture pink. Maybe he never would get powers; it was possible that a human and an alien hybrid made a complete human baby. Or Jeremy might not have developed them yet. Breathing deeply, Liz rubbed his dark blonde head; she'd deal with that issue if it ever came to pass.

The group knew that she was pregnant when she left, she told them she was, but they didn't know where she had gone after she left them, whether or not she kept the baby; they knew nothing, and she wished that weren't the case.

It would have been nice to have friends to share her joy with. Maria would have doted on him, even knowing who his father was. Maria had such a warm and forgiving soul, she might have been upset with her, but she'd never let that get in the way of loving a child.

Liz kissed Jeremy's temple and took another bite off the peach dangling from her fork. She regretted that her son missed out on a whole group of people loving him; she regretted that she never told Michael that he was going to be a father.

Sure she told the group that she was pregnant, but not who fathered the baby. She and Michael were never exclusive; neither wanted to be, or at least that's what they told themselves. Whether it was the truth or just what they wanted the other to believe, she felt that they would have become exclusive if she told him Jeremy was his.

Having only eaten half of the can, she grabbed the lid and sealed it back onto the can. When she was done she, placed the half-empty can into the fridge. Walking back into the living room, she gently lifted Jeremy up off her hip and put him down in his playpen. She'd unpack some things while he was napping; hopefully he'd stay asleep for a couple of hours.

Reaching over him, she grabbed his blanket and placed it on top of him. Once she was sure he wouldn't wake when he was off her hip, she opened the nearest box, various knick-knacks from her bedroom back above the Crashdown.

Liz set aside that box; she had a box labeled lamps somewhere. The one light above her wouldn't do when nightfall came. She pushed two boxes out of the way and found what she was looking for. Pulling out the two lamps she once had in her bedroom, she placed them on the two end tables, one by the couch and the other in the corner by the easy chair.

Dad had purchased the chair for her, but she had a sneaking suspicion that he got it for himself whenever he came over. He complained that the old couch Mom gave her was uncomfortable, so he wanted a place where he could sit comfortably.

Once she plugged in the lights, she stepped back and made sure they were exactly where she wanted them to be. The blue lamp in the corner by the chair needed to be pushed back a little. Where it was now made it seem like an interrogation chair.

A few more adjustments, and she was satisfied with the placement. Next, she moved toward the boxes of books, both from her room and a couple from the living room that her parents had either finished reading or weren't interested in reading.

Opening the box labeled books she saw a leather bound book that looked very familiar. Picking it up, she opened the cover, and out fell a folded piece of paper. Bending down she picked it up but didn't read it, instead she read the first page.

_Property of Elizabeth Parker._

The page was a little battered from constant opening and closing. It was her journal. The journal she told Dad and Mom to destroy so it wouldn't fall into the wrong hands. Why did they keep this?

Needing answers she unfolded the letter that fell from the journal. Pretty cursive writing filled the page, her Mom wrote the letter.

_Liz,_

_We know you're going to be upset over your father and I not destroying this. We have no excuse except we couldn't do it. Not in good conscious. It was the last deeply personal thing we had of you, there was no way we could demolish that last link to you. We had no idea if you'd ever come home; we held out hope, of course, but never truly knew for sure._

_If you still want to destroy this journal, I understand, but I beg of you don't. It not only holds what happened to you during those three years, it also holds your thoughts, feelings, and events from two years before that. Your father and I would hate for you to get rid of this and then regret it. By then it'd be too late._

_Whatever you decide, we support you, but think long and hard before you decide._

_We'll see you this weekend. Love you, sweetie._

_Love,_

_Mom and Dad_

Closing the letter, she held the journal close to her heart. She was frustrated that her parents didn't do what she asked them to, but she was also immensely grateful. The journal held everything that she thought, felt, experienced, fantasized, and hoped about.

When she thought she'd never come home again, she had wanted Mom and Dad to get rid of it forever so it didn't fall into the wrong hands. Now she was glad her parents didn't do it; the moments that were written in those pages were too precious to burn away.

Slowly she put the handwritten letter Mom wrote back in the front of the journal and put it on the couch next to her. She'd put it somewhere safe once she was done in the living room.

Turning back to the open box, she bent down and began to pull out books, both hard backs and paperbacks. Needing a bit of order to her novel collection, she sat on the ground and began organizing them. First she separated them by genre, then author, series, and finally publishing date.

Liz didn't know what it was about her books, but she needed them to be organized, or it would bother her till she did something about it. Yea, she wasn't ashamed to admit it; there were certain things that she was anal about. It kept her sane in an insane world. For the next thirty minutes, she organized and placed the books on the bookshelf.

TBC


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Jeremy slept for only an hour before he woke up crying. As she reached down to pick him up, she found out why he was so upset. "Somebody needs a changing." Her teary-eyed son nodded.

A few minutes later, his beautiful hazel eyes were dry, and he had on a fresh diaper. With Jeremy on her hip, she walked into the kitchen and poured him a small cup of juice. Most of the time, like clockwork, he would want juice after he awoke.

His chubby little legs wiggled on her stomach and back as he reached for his sippy cup. Once it was in his grasp, he settled down and drank it quietly. However, once he got his fill, he started talking and spoke in a way that only a mother or father would be able to understand.

Listening to him only half-heartedly, she returned to the living room and turned on the TV leaving it on low; it soothed Liz to have the drone from the television in the background. She didn't have cable; it was luxury she couldn't afford.

Technically, she couldn't even afford the home she lived in. When she began looking for a place in Seattle, she circled a few apartments that were in her price range, along with one home; it was a one-bedroom, one level, no backyard, and right across the street from a burned down section of town.

Mom had seen the places she was circling and spoke to Dad, without her knowledge, and told him that she couldn't let their daughter and grandson move into any of the apartments or homes she was looking at. After much discussion, they said they'd help her look for a place away from the section of town she was searching in.

When Liz tried to argue with her parents about not needing their help in getting a place, they quickly pointed out the benefits of their assistance. The major selling point was the many connections they had in Seattle. Mainly Logan Cale being their closest family friend.

She had met Cale once at a dinner she got dragged to when she was fifteen. Alex would have been more interested in Logan than her. Logan mentioned his love for computers, which was Alex's domain. Liz knew the basics, but her love was science, not technology. Logan was a nice enough guy, but she would have had more fun organizing her sock drawer.

Liz had no idea how Mom and Dad became friends with him. Mom only said that they met over similar interests; that was as much as Mom mentioned. Although, what a computer whiz and restaurant owner had in common she wasn't sure.

She picked up a fence that went in front of the stairs. Mom gave them to her when she and Jamie moved out. Her parents had them up with her at the Crashdown; they couldn't risk her falling down the stairs of the apartment.

Leaving Jamie alone for a moment, she went to the basement stairs and fit the fence in front of it. While the entryway to the basement had a door, it didn't lock, and Jeremy opened everything he could reach. Without a lock, it was as good as leaving the door open. Could she have had the locksmith fix that door too? Yes, however, it would have cost her more money to have it fixed, and he would have stayed for much longer then he originally had.

Walking back into the living room she looked at the spot where she left her son. He wasn't there. "Jamie?" She looked behind the playpen and couch, nothing there but dust bunnies she missed when she cleaned. "Jamie."

Irritated and a little worried, she left the living room and went into the front hallway. Working on climbing the stairs leading to the second floor, she found her missing child.

"Hey you little monkey." She quickly climbed the couple of stairs Jeremy managed to ascend. Swinging him up into her arms, he squealed in delight.

"Looks like we're going to need another fence." Liz playfully tickled him under his chin.

Jamie shook his head quickly. "No!" He giggled.

"Yes." She smiled and carried him back down to the first level. A sea of 'No's' from Jamie followed her 'Yes.'

The bedrooms upstairs weren't livable yet. For the next couple of weeks, maybe even months, she and Jeremy would be sleeping in the living room. When her parents and their Seattle buddy confirmed that the house was hers, she went up and checked the place out. During that first trip, she saw which rooms were in need of a lot of work. The upstairs area was the major fixer upper.

When she came back to Roswell, she didn't tell Mom or Dad about the huge mess. If she had, they'd have insisted she get a hotel or stay in Roswell with them till the house was cleaned. But she didn't what that; she needed to leave her parent's home and take care of her son on her own.

As Liz bent to put Jeremy on the couch, a heavy knock rattled her front door. Standing straight she glared at the door for a moment. Who could that be? She knew it wouldn't be her parents; they weren't coming up for at least another day if not a couple days.

Picking Jeremy back up, she placed him in his playpen. Slowly she made her way to the front door. Could it be sector police? Living in Roswell and the fact that her parent's owned the building they worked and lived in didn't cause police, sector or otherwise, to stop by unannounced.

Another loud, impatient knock vibrated the door. Standing in front of the door, she peeked through the peephole. The imposing figure on the other side stared at the door with frustration and a little anger. Well, they weren't known for their patience.

Smirking, Liz unlocked the door and swung it open. "What are you doing here?" She playfully teased. "Thought you were trying the staying put thing?"

"Tried it, didn't exactly work out." He smirked back. "'Sides, you were da only thing keeping that cornball town worthwhile."

Liz smiled genuinely at the man staring back at her. "I missed you too, Rath. Come on in."

"Thanks Sweetness."

TBC


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Rath stood in the entryway while Liz shut the door behind him. It surprised him how well they got along; they couldn't have been more different… appearance wise especially. Liz dressed completely cornball; sometimes she wore a daring top or 'fuck me' shoes, but it was a rarity.

While he on the other hand stomped around in whatever was on the floor and kind of clean. Currently, that was a ripped black wife beater, dirty gray baggy pants, and combat boots. His hair was in his usual style—bed head Mohawk as Liz had taken to calling it. All the tats on his arms were on display, and black leather cuffs circled his wrists.

"Roswell not exciting enough for you anymore?" Liz teased as they walked into the living room.

"Nah, afta you's left, it got boring." Rath shrugged. To be honest, he got use to having Liz around. She was a constant companion, and he didn't want to lose the only family he had left…or at least the only family he could find.

Jeremy, seeing his old playmate, stood and clapped happily. "Raf." He raised his hands up to be picked up by one of the two adults present. Rath automatically reached down and lifted his dupe's son out of his playpen.

"Guess you weren't the only one that missed someone." Liz smiled. Rath, shockingly, was great with Jamie, most of the time. Once in a while, his short temper got the better of him. With a volatile and passionate personality like Rath's, it wasn't a surprise.

Liz sat on the couch and tucked her bare feet under her. Rath took the spot next to her, and Jamie crawled off Rath's lap and onto hers. "You know I will be ok up here by myself."

Rath nodded. "I know." He knew Liz could take care of herself; hell she took care of him while he was recovering. It didn't stop the worry he felt when she told him she and Jeremy were leaving town.

Off in the corner, the phone she hooked up during Jeremy's nap rang. Picking her son up, she hurried over to the phone before it switched to her voice mail service. "Hello?" Her own voice softened automatically.

"Hello, may I speak to Elizabeth Parker, please?" The male on the other end of the phone asked.

"This is she." She jiggled Jamie and gently took the phone cord from his curious hands.

"Hi Elizabeth, this is Adam Mascal from Mascal's Clothes & Shoes." He introduced himself.

"Yes, hello." Liz mentally sighed with relief; hopefully he called because he wanted her to come in for an interview. His store was next to most of the daycares she was looking into for Jeremy.

"I apologize for this being so last minute, but we had a sudden employee decline." There was a tone in his voice that said someone had either quit or they were fired. "Would you mind coming in for an interview now? And if you get the job, would you be able to work until six tonight?"

"Uh," Liz glanced at Jeremy in her arms. Who could she get to watch him for a few hours? Smirking a bit, she turned to Rath who was sitting on the couch laughing at some cartoon on the television. "That's not a problem. I can be there in forty-five minutes."

"Wonderful. I'll see you then." They both said goodbye, and Liz hung up.

"Rath?"

"Yea?" He watched the TV show engrossed completely. He didn't notice the gleam in Liz's eyes; if he had, he would have scurried out of there and said he had something important to do.

Liz stood next to him. "Are you busy for the next few hours?"

"Nah, why?" He still hadn't turned to look at her.

When she didn't say anything, he finally tore his gaze from the television. Liz was smiling widely, and the sparkle in her eye was very mischievous. Rath didn't like that look; it made him nervous.

"Could you please watch Jamie for a few hours while I go for a job interview?" She kept the smile on her face knowing it made him cautious.

"What?" Rath stood so he towered over the petite female. "Nah. Yous ain't leavin' me alone with him." He pointed at Jamie rudely.

"Why not, you're great with him?"

"I ain't never been alone with him before. Yous always putterin' 'round da background. No way. Uh-huh." He refused.

Liz lifted Jamie higher up on her hip. "Rath please. I have a job interview; this job is the one I really want. If you need anything, all you have to do is call me on my cell." She could tell he didn't like the idea at all of being left alone with a toddler. It constituted a nightmare for him.

Rath shook his head negatively. When Liz stared up at him with her swirling brown orbs pleading with him silently to watch Jeremy for a few hours, he could feel his walls begin to weaken. "What if I fuck up? Don't wanna be responsible for damagin' da kid."

"You won't damage him. If it'll make you feel better though, I can leave you another number to call. The man's name is Logan Cale. He's an old friend of the families and can be here in a half an hour." Jamie pulled on her hair as she worked to talk Rath into babysitting him. He put a strand in his mouth, and she easily pulled it away from him.

"What 'bout diaper's 'n shit? Hows am I gonna deal with dat?" He tried everything to get her to not leave Jamie with him. He didn't want to be the one to cause the kids death. He'd become rather fond of the little guy.

"You've done it before. I showed you how a few times, and you did it once when I napped, remember? Don't tell me you're afraid of a little kid." She knew it was a low blow questioning Rath's courage, but she was desperate.

"I ain't afraid of anything." Rath stood up straighter and puffed out his chest a bit. "I's got big hairy balls, Sweetness."

Liz shrugged. "If you say so." Giving the illusion that she wasn't so sure of his 'balls' status. If that didn't get Rath to agree to watch Jamie for a few hours, then nothing would.

"I's can watch him fine." Rath glared at her. And just like that, she talked him into babysitting.

Smiling, she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek before handing Rath her son. "I knew I could count on you." With a spring in her step, she hurried toward the one other room; she cleaned up and went to change. Using her powers, she changed her shirt into a nice pale blue buttoned down blouse and transformed her jeans into black pin-stripe pants.

She reached over to the box that carried all her shoes. Searching through them, she spotted the pair of heeled boots that would match her outfit perfectly. After she slipped them on, she opened the door and went back into the living room. Rath was playing with Jamie on the floor with some of his toy cars.

While they were busy, she went to the kitchen and wrote down her cell number, which she knew Rath already had, and also Logan Cale's number. Before she had arrived in Seattle, Dad told her that Logan offered to be of any assistance while she was out there. All she had to do was call. Also on the list were police, fire, and the hospital's pediatrics' unit.

She set the list on the end table in the living room and went into the bathroom where she fixed her hair and did her makeup. Once she was ready, she entered the living room and bent down to kiss Jamie on the cheek. "Ok honey, Mommy's going to go for a little awhile, ok? But Uncle Rath will be here to take care of you."

Jamie instantly stopped playing with his cars and stood up. "I wanna go."

"Honey, you have to stay here. Mommy needs to go to an interview." Liz tried to explain, but he wasn't having any of it.

Jeremy smiled. "I come too."

Liz held back a sigh and picked him up. "Jamie, you can't come with Mommy. Uncle Rath will be here to take care of you though. And I'll be back in a few hours, ok?"

"No!" He crossed his arms and frowned.

Rath stood and glared at her. "Yous wanna leave me alone with your upset kid?"

Liz glared right back at him, telling him without words to shut up. "Jeremy, you have to stay home. I'll be back before you know it." She kissed him on the cheek, even though he tried to back away, and set him down on the couch.

"MAMA!" Jeremy began crying loudly like he was being tortured.

She grabbed her keys and made her way toward the door. Rath caught up with her though and whirled her around. "Your just gonna leave? What da hell am I supposed ta do?"

Her son's cries from the living room only got louder. It killed her that she was leaving him while he was so upset, but Mom had told her more than once that sometimes kids just need to scream it out. "Let him cry. He'll work it out of his system eventually."

"That's it?" He growled angrily.

"Yea." Liz shrugged unable to give him any other answer.

"What if peeps think I'm killing da kid?" Rath questioned.

She licked her lips and sighed. "Stay outside for a little while. Trust me it'll be fine." She patted his rock hard arm that was tight with tension and left Jamie balling his little green eyes out.

TBC


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

_Terminal City_

Alec took off his leather jacket and tossed it roughly onto the couch. The apartment was far smaller than the one he kept out of Terminal City. He refused to get rid of his spacious home. He didn't mind being locked in close quarters with everyone, after all he'd grown up in that kind of environment. However, he knew how Ordinaries were, he obviously knew how transgenics were, and those two wouldn't mesh well. So when he had female company, he took them to his apartment out of TC.

Angry over Max's latest tirade against him, he opened his liquor cabinet and took out a bottle of whiskey. Instead of reaching for a glass, he twisted the top off and drank straight from the bottle. He barely swallowed the first gulp of warm liquid when his door burst open.

"Max—I don't remember inviting you in." Alec joked sarcastically. He brushed passed her and sat on the couch. Ignoring her, he turned on the TV; he gave Max the impression of not paying attention to her, but in actuality, he knew her every move. It was difficult with his DNA to not watch someone that was in his territory.

Max glanced from side to side, clearly nervous to be alone with him. A petty part of him wanted to call her on it, but that'd cause more issues than he preferred to deal with right then.

"Look, downstairs…" She coughed uncomfortably but quickly regained her composure and rushed through what she felt she had to say. "I'm sorry for jumping down your throat." The words were pushed out so fast Alec had a bit of a hard time understanding her, but he did.

"Max, I couldn't quite comprehend what you said." He played with his ear and stared at her.

"You heard me. Don't act like you didn't." She glared.

Hey, he might have understood her, but that didn't mean she's let off the hook. "Who's acting?" Alec shrugged his shoulders and took another swig of whiskey.

"I'm trying to apologize, and you're making it into a big production and joking about it."

Alec slammed the glass bottle on the table. "Just because I'm not bending to your will like everyone else around here doesn't mean you can wave off an apology for treating me like shit."

Max wouldn't back away from him, but he scared her from the look in her eyes. "That's not what I was doing."

"Now who's acting?" He whispered. "Anytime you hear about something gone wrong even a little bit, I'm the one that gets shit on. Doesn't matter if I'm there or not somehow it's my fault." He poked at his chest.

"Alec, you're…"

"You know, you've been on my case for a month. Ever since we almost slept together." Alec realized. "Max, is this because I stopped us? Is that what this whole 'blame Alec for everything' is about? Because you should be thanking your lucky stars that I'm an alpha and put a stop to it before we both did something we'd regret."

"It has nothing to do with that." She denied.

Alec nodded, but clearly didn't believe her. "Sure." He put the lid back on the bottle and left the alcohol on the end table. It'd probably be gone by the time he got back though; Mole would sometimes come into his room and raid his liquor cabinet. "You can leave now."

"Alec, I really am sorry." Max argued.

"Don't care. Go." Alec pointed to the door and waited as she shrugged and left the room.

For a few minutes after she left, he paced in his room like a caged animal. He could tell in Max's voice that she was sorry for how she had been treating him, but he wasn't in the mood to accept her apology. He was in the mood to act like an asshole. And after a month of constant verbal hits from Max, he felt it was owed to him.

He didn't blame Max for their almost sexual encounter; if anything he felt sympathy for her. She had gone into heat, and Logan was out of town. Currently in Terminal City he was the top dog, the alpha male; it was only natural that Max sought him out instead of someone else of a lower rank.

Tired of looking at the same four walls, he grabbed the jacket he threw on the couch and shrugged it on. He left the small apartment he kept and hurried down the stairs toward the common room. Max tried to stop him to once more apologize, but he didn't even slow his steps.

As he neared the entrance, the three transgenics that watched the door opened it for him. Armed with firearms, they nodded to him before continuing their surveillance. Alec realized that it might not be a good idea to go out without his helmet and bike, but he decided to risk it. He put his hands in his pockets and walked down the street.

Ros&DA&Ros&DA&Ros&DA

Liz stood at the front door for a moment cringing at Jamie's cries. She hated leaving him when he was clearly upset, but he had to learn that he couldn't get everything he wanted. She closed her eyes and put a hand against the door. She wanted nothing more than to push the barrier between them and gather Jeremy up into her arms and stop his pain.

Sighing, she reluctantly pushed away from the door and bounced down the stairs. Liz assessed the sky and decided to walk to the clothing store. While grey, it had stopped raining, and it hadn't rained for a couple hours. But she did duck into her car and grabbed an umbrella that she saw on the floor of the car.

Locking the car back up, she made her way down the driveway; she turned the corner sharply and bashed into someone so hard that she fell on her butt in the mud. She groaned at the muck seeping through her clothes. Dammit, this was the last thing she needed.

"Oh damn. Sorry, are you ok?" A deep remorseful voice questioned.

Liz, now that the shock had worn off, got a good look at the guy she ran into. Just her luck, he was gorgeous. Dark blonde hair, mischievous green eyes, broad shoulders, slim waist and he clearly had some muscle definition under that shirt and coat.

"I'm fine." She grimaced at the slimy mud moving through her fingers. "It's my fault anyway. Wasn't looking where I was going." She tried to get up without his help, but it proved to be a difficult task. After the second time of trying to get out of the mud and not succeeding, she took his offered hand so he could pull her up.

"Man, you're a real mess. Can I get you a towel or something?" He asked.

"Umm, no, my house is right here; I'll just go change." She waved off his offer.

"Well, here." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash. "Let me at least pay for you to get those cleaned."

Liz glanced at her watch. "No, it's really ok. Thanks for your help, though." She ran up her driveway and left the guy staring after her in confusion.

TBC


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Alec watched after her as she hurried back up the driveway. Her mud covered back and butt disappeared around the corner only adding to his confusion. If she lived there why would she go in through the back door? Perplexed he shook his head but didn't think much about it.

Loud child screams filled the gloomy air outside. He backed up a couple steps and stared at the house for a few seconds. The child inside continued to scream when the front door opened and out stepped a heavily tattooed, pierced man wearing grungy clothes and a scowl on his face.

Curious Alec stepped further onto the property. "Everything all right?"

The man turned his attention toward him. "Yea. Chick's kid screamin' his fuckin' head off."

Could the girl he bumped into be dating this guy? Alec nodded and left the yard; if she was taken he wasn't going to bother getting involved. Last thing he needed was to get in the middle of another relationship. Max already purposely put him in the middle of her and Logan, a place he never wished to be.

Ros&DA&Ros&DA&Ros&DA

In the backyard Liz listened to the guy she bumped into and Rath's brief exchange. Once she heard Rath groan loudly in frustration before heading back inside to the still screaming bloody murder child she breathed a sigh of relief and pushed away from the wall of her home.

Liz scanned the area, no one around or looking out their windows. Waving her hand over her clothes she used her alien mojo to get rid of the mud bath covering her outfit and hands. Checking her watch she raced down the driveway and ran to the street.

Driving had been an option but she loved walking. In Roswell she walked everywhere, sometimes she'd take the bus or got a ride but she was a constant pedestrian. She enjoyed taking in the sounds and smells of the city.

Making her way down the street she felt the difference in the air. In Roswell the air wasn't as humid, it was hot but dry. Her clothes hadn't felt like they stuck to her skin and were soaking up gallons of sweat. Seattle on the other hand, it felt like she had just stepped out of a hot shower, the big difference was she felt clean after a shower.

She walked down another street, each step bringing her closer to her destination. Liz took in the various sights of vendors lined up on the street selling a multitude of items, a couple down by the corner arguing…one mentioned money and how the guy short changed her. Maybe they weren't a couple.

Liz wondered how Rath was doing with Jeremy. If someone had told her four years ago that she'd be trusting Rath with her child she would have laughed in the persons face. Trust Rath with her baby, no way. Rath was the man that tried to kill Max and kidnapped Tess. In other words a man that couldn't be trusted to watch a pet let alone her own flesh and blood.

However when Rath came to her for help beaten and bloody shortly after she arrived back in Roswell pregnant she couldn't turn him away. Maybe it was because he was Michael's dupe, the double of her child's father, or the fact that she hated to see anyone hurt. Whatever the reason was she set him up in a hotel room and took care of him while he healed.

During the weeks they spent together in the hotel room she found out he had been brainwashed by Lonnie to push Zan in front of that semi truck. Lonnie had been adamant about being with Kivar and had agreed to do whatever Nikolas wanted to acquire her rightful place.

When Max and Tess left New York and Nikolas nor Kivar had the Granolith after that fateful meeting, Nikolas told Lonnie that since they didn't have the Granolith, she didn't get to go home. According to Rath that pissed Lonnie off but he couldn't remember what happened after that. The memory was gone, he's sure either Lonnie or Nikolas took what happened out of his brain.

Rath had been under the brainwash for three years before he finally broke out of it. Unfortunately for him when Lonnie figured it out she had the guy she was screwing beat him up. Now Rath was no push over, he gave as good as he got for five minutes, until Lonnie's boyfriend's buddies saw their friend losing and jumped into the fray.

Rath's good in a fight but when it's one against three or more you're no longer a good fighter instead you're just a punching bag, which was what Rath became. However fortune smiled on Rath for that moment in time. Lonnie and Rath had been in Roswell when the skirmish went down, so once the guys were done beating him up he knew a place where he could go.

Liz didn't realize Rath knew where she lived. When he was first there with Lonnie and Ava he apparently was interested in her and followed her after she left the meeting that had been held at the UFO Center. He was going to climb up her ladder and try to get with her but Lonnie put the kibosh on that. Lonnie told Rath that she needed to screw him that night. Although normally he would be gung ho about it, after all why pass up a sure thing, but because he knew what Lonnie made him to do Zan he wasn't that interested at the time. However Lonnie "convinced" him using her powers to stay with her instead of seeking Liz out.

Liz turned the corner and passed by more street vendors. The shouts of goods and prices filled her ears. Most of the goods being sold were food and drink but there were also so other vendors that were selling toys, cheap jewelry, and parts for various appliances.

As she walked by one jewelry vendor she spotted something that looked familiar. She stopped and went to take a closer look at it.

"Ah, the beautiful lady is interested in a beautiful necklace." The Native American woman smiled at her warmly hoping for a sale.

Liz smiled and did her best to hide her obvious interest in the piece. "I saw the design and thought it was interesting. Where did you get it?"

"My grandfather had it in a box of trinkets." She explained. More like a box of junk, the only thing she found that could be of value was this and a paper weight with the same symbol. Everything else was bills and notes scribbled on pieces of paper.

"How much are you asking for it?" Liz asked. She didn't want to seem over eager but she also didn't want to seem too disinterested.

The vendor thought it over for a bit then stated her price. "Twenty dollars."

Liz mulled it over. Did she want to pay twenty dollars for it? The symbol was clearly alien. She remembered seeing it in the cave with Max and River Dog. It looked like a crooked egg with two small squares inside near both ends. To that day she still didn't know what it meant but it was alien. It was from Antar.

"Do you have anything else with this symbol or something similar?" Liz asked.

"Just one thing. It was in the same box of stuff." She bent down and opened up a box that held doubles of some things and a few other items she didn't have room for up top.

Liz breathed in deeply at the second item the vendor had. It was a flat hexagon shaped disc with the same symbol as the necklace. Two items, same alien symbol. "How much for both of them?" She knew she was going to buy the items; it was just a matter of how much she was going to pay for them.

"For both—forty-five."

"Mmm, how about thirty-five?" Liz countered.

The woman thought it over. She'd had the necklace on display for nearly a year and no one had expressed interest in the item, let alone both items. Thirty-five might be the best she could get for it. "How about we split the difference. Forty."

Liz smiled at the woman and nodded. "You got yourself a deal." She reached into her purse and pulled out four tens and handed them to her and the vendor handed her the items.

"Thank you for your business. Have a good one."

"You too." Liz walked away while putting the items in her purse. Rath would definitely be interested in the items. Although he wasn't as curious as Michael had been he still wanted to know some things about Antar. These might hold some answers or lead him to answers.

She checked her watch. Although she had ten minutes to go before she'd be late to the job interview she picked up her pace. Buying the items put her a bit behind schedule but thankfully she could see the big sign that was over the clothing store just a couple blocks away.

Five minutes later she was entering the store and telling the employee up front who she was and what she was doing there. A moment later the manager came out and they started the interview. Within a half-hour she had the job and began to start work immediately until the next shift.

TBC


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Later that night at 6 p.m. she left the store, the guy whose shift was next came in, relieving her for the day. She had officially gotten the job, as soon as her test trial was done the manager congratulated her on a job well done that day and her hours would be from noon to six.

While it was only part-time it was better than nothing. Liz hoped in the future she'd be able to go for full time but until then she had to get another job. There were still a few places that she'd applied to that hadn't gotten back to her yet.

Liz made it back home in thirty minutes; thankfully she didn't hear any screaming coming from inside. Cautiously she opened the front door, preparing for hostile looks from either Rath, Jamie, or both.

She shut the door behind her and wandered into the living room. Immediately her eyes went to the still child lying on his stomach on the couch. Little drool bubbles went in and out of Jeremy's mouth as he breathed. Smiling she went over to him and gently petted his back.

Where was Rath? She glanced up from her son sleeping soundly and looked around, nothing too out of place. A chair was pushed back and the walls had blue handprints on them that weren't there when she left. Carefully so as not to wake Jamie she lifted his hands, she found the culprit of the decorative handprints. Blue chalk covered his palms.

Chuckling she left her son sleeping and went in search of his babysitter. She set her things down on the pushed back chair and made her way through the first floor. In the kitchen she found the wayward babysitter.

Rath chugged three mouthfuls of whiskey before setting the bottle down and staring at her with menace in his eyes. "Your kid is a hellion." He growled out.

"Rough day?" She teased.

"Oh shut up. Do you have any idea what he's like?" Rath pointed angrily at the living room where the sleeping kid rested.

Liz nodded. "I gave birth to him and he spends almost every waking minute with me so I'd say yes I do know what he's like."

"Then why did you leave me alone with him?" Rath questioned.

"Tell me what happened today." She decided to ignore the question. After all from what she saw Rath got off easy. Liz recalled once when she had to clean spaghetti off the ceiling, don't even ask her how it got up there, somehow though Jeremy managed to.

"First you left him here crying for a half-hour. That was hell on my ear drums; if I go deaf I'm suing." He threatened. He took another swig of alcohol. "Then he finally shut up. Figured everythin' was cool. Wrong. He asked me ta paint wit him, I thought great, he's gonna be calm but oh no." Liz made her way toward the fridge. "Hey where ya goin'? I'm tryin' ta tell ya what your menace of a son was up ta today."

"And I'm listening. But while I'm listening I'm making dinner." She explained.

"Anyway your kid grabs his paints and I tell him I don't want ta paint but I'll watch him paint." Liz nodded and waited for the inevitable outcome of Rath's refusal to paint with him. "So I start dozin' off, after all its paint how much trouble can he get into with that? All of a sudden I wake up with pink nails and different colors of paint on my face."

Liz laughed at Rath's expression of horror. Her body shook and she held a hand to her quivering stomach. When she saw his immediate anger she stifled her laughter. "Continue please." She managed to eek out.

"It's not funny."

"Yes it is." She wiped tears of joy from her eyes and went about gathering more things for dinner.

"Anyway…" He glared at her and went on to tell her the rest of the tale. "I fixed the mess he made." He waved his fingers so she knew how he fixed the mess on his body. "I told him that I need to fix him up too, he tells me 'no'. Little shit started running with his paint brushes in his hand and ran da things all over the walls and furniture while I'm chasin' his ass."

Liz nodded. Jeremy loved his paints and she knew from experience that the only way to keep her walls, furniture and herself relatively clean was too watch him like a hawk.

"Finally I caught him, cleaned him up, cleaned the furniture up, and put his paints away. There was no way he'd get da chance to put me in pink and sky fucking blue again." He took one more swig from the bottle scoffing angrily when Liz took the bottle away. "Hey."

"You've had enough. If you want to drink more go find a bar. Last thing I want is a repeat of the St. Patrick's Day incident." She complained shoving the bottle on top of the refrigerator.

"It wasn't that bad and you were able to clean it up afterwards." Rath argued.

"Just because I did before doesn't mean I want to again. And if you do go to a bar you better not come back here, you find yourself a hotel where other people can clean up…everything." Liz grimaced in disgust. Having a repeat of Rath losing control of his stomach wasn't on her list of fun things to do after work. "Anyway you were saying about your day with Jamie?"

Although pissed that she took the bottle away he told her the rest. "I finally catch him, wave a hand over him and the paint is removed. I ask him if he wants something to eat. He says yes, I figure great, something I can do without a problem."

"You left him alone didn't ya?" She smiled knowingly.

"Maybe." He grudgingly admitted. "So I come out with a sandwich and he's split. No fucking idea where he scampered off too."

"Where'd you find him?" Not worried because it was clear that Jeremy was perfectly fine sleeping away his busy day on the couch.

Rath raised his hand and gestured heatedly toward what would hopefully soon be Jamie's room. "In that room over there. I hear him gigglin' and I can't find shit in that box filled room. When I actually do find him and try ta grab him he runs passed me back ta the living room. I, of course, chase after him and there he was sweet as could be eating his damn sandwich."

"And the blue chalk came in where?" Liz wondered.

"That was after the glue and sparkle incident." He sneered. "Never leave me alone with that hellion again. No amount of graveling or promise of sexual favors will get me ta say yes ta babysitting him again."

Liz giggled in a similar fashion that Jamie had giggled earlier in the day. "I'm sorry my son traumatized you. If it'll make you feel better since my parents are coming up here in a couple days it's unlikely that I'll ask you to babysit." She promised.

"Good." Rath nodded enthusiastically.

"Mm, before I forget." She left the kitchen for a moment and then returned with her purse. "While I was walking to the job I found some things a vendor was selling. Thought you might be interested." Liz pulled out the two items she bought and handed the objects to Rath.

"Whoa." His anger at the day's events evaporated. "Some vendor just sold these to ya?" He held the flat disk face up on his palm and he held up the necklace with the symbol.

"Yea. She had the necklace on display but the disk she had in a box underneath the counter. Do you know what it means?"

Rath shook his head negatively. "No. But I remember something about this disk. There's three more. It's useless without the other three."

"The necklace has the same symbol on it," Liz pointed out, "are these two things linked in anyway besides the design and being from your planet?" She wondered.

"From what little I remember there were four necklaces too. They don't do nothin' to my knowledge but they each represent our families crest or our personal symbol, I'm not certain but I know it has somethin' to do wit our family or our former selves in some way not necessarily our planet."

"I know that Max, Tess, Isabel, and Michael have a necklace with a different symbol on it. Looked like it was made of the same materials and you said there would be two others?" Liz questioned, her curiosity bubbling right to the surface, dinner preparations forgotten for the time being.

"Yeah."

"Could there be six more?"

"Six?" He stared at her strangely.

Liz nodded and turned back to dinner. "Since there were two sets of four sent down then it would stand to reason that there were necklaces for both sets."

"Hmm, sounds like a good theory." Rath stared at the objects again.

"Is anything familiar jumping out?" She saw his deep probing stare of the items in his hands.

Rath shrugged and put the disk and necklace on the table. "I feel like I should know what these mean or are but it's like a memory that's locked away." He kicked at the chair he leaned on. "Dammit."

Liz bit her lower lip, she couldn't believe she was about to suggest this but it might be Rath's only way to get some answers about the things she bought that day. "Do you want me to call the others?"

"What?"

Liz swallowed and pushed past the lump of dread in her throat. "I still have a number where I can contact them. Tess is really good at memory retrieval it might jog something loose. Or there might be some information in the Destiny Book."

Although Rath thought about it and was seriously considering taking her up on that offer he saw the fear in her eyes. She didn't want to call them, she didn't want the others to come to Seattle and find out about Jeremy, namely whose genes he had flowing through his veins. One look at him and it would be clear who his father was.

So in a move uncharacteristic to Rath he declined her offer. He set aside his own desires and needs for his friend, it was weird turning his back on getting information but Liz had done so many things for him he would do this one thing for her. Besides, although he wanted information about his original planet he wasn't obsessed over it. There were plenty things on Earth that captured his attention that made his interest in Antar pale in comparison.

"Nah, it's all right. I have some things dat I can look at that came from Kal. If I can't find it in there I might say, yeah call em' but for now let's not."

Liz visibly sighed with relief and Rath felt a little better about not bringing the others into this. "Ok." She smiled at him. "Thank you."

Rath smirked and lowered his head in a bashful manner. "It's nothin'. Listen I'm going to go find a bar." He picked up the alien objects and put them in his pockets. "I'll see ya tomorrow."

"You know Rath, despite my earlier comments you can come back here after you're done at the bar. We've got plenty of room." Liz offered.

"Thanks but no thanks Sweetness. I'm looking ta get laid tonight. Don't think you'd like it much if I brought some pretty little thing here to bang." He hugged her quickly and gave her butt a sharp spank.

She squealed in surprise and smacked his chest. "Asshole."

"Don't you forget it." Without a smirk and a wave he left the house and headed for the closest bar.

TBC

Note: This fic is now up to date. Hopefully I'll another update sometime after I come back from vacation.


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